Interventions Designed to Support Physical Activity and Disease Prevention for Working from Home: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Working from home (WfH) has public health implications including changes to physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). We reviewed published and grey literature for interventions designed to support PA or reduce SB in WfH contexts. From 1355 published and grey literature documents since 2010, we screened 136 eligible documents and extracted ten intervention studies. Interventions designed specifically for WfH were limited and included structured exercise programs, infrastructure (e.g., sit-stand workstations), online behavioral and educational programs, health professional advice and peer support, activity trackers and reminder prompts. Evidence of interventions to improve PA and reduce SB in WfH contexts is emergent but lacking in variety and in utilization of local environments to promote good health. Evidence is needed on the adaptation of existing workplace interventions for home environments and exploration of opportunities to support PA through alternative interventions, such as urban planning and recreational strategies.